CHAPTERFIFTEEN
It did not take Luke long to discover where he would find Lord Harry that evening. He was known to frequent one of the several gentlemen’s clubs in the town, and Luke did not have any trouble gaining admittance, even though he was not a member himself. Being a duke had its advantages, after all.
He paused in the hallway before making his way up the stairs to the dining room. All the way there in his carriage, he had been fuming; his anger had been growing all day. To see Charlotte in such distress had affected him much more than he anticipated. She was such a sweet creature, and she had been humiliated by this feckless man one too many times. He would not stand for it any longer.
He strode up the stairs, his sense of purpose making his movements fast and determined. The servant at the door had told him where he would find Lord Harry, and he soon saw the man at a card table in a corner, playing a round with a friend who Luke did not recognize.
He approached the table, and Lord Harry looked up at him in surprise. “Seton, my dear fellow,” he said affably. “I’ve never seen you here before. I didn’t even know you were a member.”
“I’m not,” Luke said gruffly.
Lord Harry looked confused. “Oh, well – what brings you here then?”
“I wanted a word with you.”
“With me?”
“Yes, with you, my lord.”
Lord Harry squirmed a little in his seat, then turned to his companion. “Forgive me, Cockington, I’ll just go and see to this. Back soon!” He stood up and followed Luke across the room to a small table in the corner. “Care for a drink, Your Grace?”
“Not for me,” Luke replied.
“Well, I shall have a brandy, I think,” Lord Harry said, gesturing to a servant who came over immediately with a decanter. Clearly, the man was well known here, and the servants knew his habits.
“So, you look rather grave, Seton. What can I do for you?” Lord Harry asked after taking a large gulp of his drink. Luke thought that he looked rather nervous.And quite rightly so, he thought. He suspected Lord Harry did not know what was about to hit him.
“I wanted to speak with you about Miss Hervey,” Luke said quietly. He leaned back in his chair and watched the man’s reaction as he shifted in his seat and refused to look Luke in the eye.
“Miss Hervey? Who’s she?” he replied eventually, his gaze fixed on the table in front of him.
Luke leaned forward now but still kept his voice low. “You know perfectly well who Miss Hervey is, man. Do not trifle with me. I do not have the patience for it this evening.”
Lord Harry flushed. “Well, I suppose I do know her a little,” he conceded. “I have seen her at a few society parties and the like. But what’s she to you?”
“It is more a question, my lord, of what she is to you.”
“To me? Why, she is nothing to me,” Lord Harry replied, his face a picture of innocence.
Luke felt his temper beginning to rise. He did not want to cause a scene, but he sensed that frightening the man was going to be the only way to get him to tell him the truth. He banged his fist on the table, and Lord Harry jumped, startled by the sudden movement.
“Do not lie to me!” Luke exclaimed. “I know you have been writing her letters. Indeed, I have seen one of them with my own eyes. What is the meaning of it, when you have just announced your engagement to another young lady?”
Lord Harry stared at him. “How do you know all this?” He looked around the room in a panic. “No one knows about this!”
“If you do not tell me the truth this instant, then the whole room shall know of it, and the whole of the ton will know the truth by morning, including Miss Thomas and her family!”
Lord Harry sighed. “I suppose I shall have to tell you all, although I confess, I am at a loss as to why it would be of the slightest interest to you unless you have designs on Miss Hervey yourself?” He chuckled as if it was the funniest thing he had ever thought of.
“It makes no difference why I am interested,” Luke snapped. “Now get on with it and tell me what you think you are playing at to behave so dishonorably.”
“It started as nothing at all, really. Just a harmless flirtation, a few dances at balls. But I grew to like the girl, you know? She really is a most singular person, so unlike the other young ladies of the ton.” Lord Harry paused and narrowed his eyes. “You will know this, of course, Your Grace, if you are well acquainted with Miss Hervey yourself?”
“That is irrelevant,” Luke said icily. He poured himself a glass of brandy without asking and took a gulp. He found that he needed something to calm him down; he feared that he was on the verge of losing his temper entirely.
“Well, she got a bit over-excited, in all honesty. Wanted us to start courting properly, I think, with a view to an engagement,” Lord Harry said. “And, of course, that’s quite out of the question!”
“And why might that be?” Luke knew the answer to this full well, but he wanted to hear Lord Harry say the words out loud. He knew that he was going to have to repeat them to Charlotte, although the thought pained him greatly.
